Generate a practical blind schedule from your players, stacks, and target finish time. Then edit any blind, ante, duration, or break before you run the game.
Build Blind StructureStart with the generated structure, then tune the table to match your game.
100 BB starting depth Prefilled from your stack
Change any number directly. Use each row's action to add or remove breaks.
| SB / BB | Schedule |
|---|
The calculator starts with the things home-game hosts usually know: how many players are coming, how many chips each player starts with, and roughly when the tournament should end. It then estimates a final big blind, rounds the schedule to playable blind levels, and gives you an editable table.
The finish time is an estimate, not a promise. A loose table with rebuys can run longer. A table full of new players can deal fewer hands per hour. Use the generated schedule as the starting point, then tune level duration, blind jumps, antes, and breaks for your group.
Most forum questions boil down to the same problem: "I have this many players and this much time. What blind structure will not turn into a shove-fest?" Start here, then adjust the calculator above.
| Game type | Starting depth | Level length | Use this when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick sit-and-go | 40-60 BB | 6-10 min | You need a winner in about 60-90 minutes. |
| Standard home tournament | 75-100 BB | 12-18 min | You want a 2-3 hour game with room to play early hands. |
| Deep stack night | 150-200 BB | 18-25 min | Your group wants a slower 4+ hour tournament. |
A T10,000 stack is not automatically deep. It is 100 big blinds at 50/100, but only 20 big blinds at 250/500. That is why the calculator shows starting depth next to the opening blinds.
Leave antes off for the first few levels, especially with new players. If you use them, add them around Level 4 or 5, after the rebuy period closes, or when pots start feeling too small for the stack sizes.
For home games, a big blind ante is cleaner than every-player antes because one player posts the ante for the table.
A 5-10 minute break every 4-5 levels works well for most home games. Use the first break to end rebuys and settle add-ons if your game allows them.
Rebuys add chips to the tournament, so they also push the finish later. For a beginner-friendly night, use freezeout or one rebuy per player.
Remove small chips when they are no longer needed for future blinds or antes. For example, if every remaining blind and ante is a multiple of 100, color up the 25 chips during a break.
Do not wait until the table is buried in tiny chips. It slows betting, all-ins, and side-pot math. If you still need to divide your set, use the chip distribution calculator first.
A useful home-game rule is that the tournament often ends when the big blind is about 5-10% of all chips in play. If 9 players start with 10,000 chips each, there are 90,000 chips in play, so the ending range is roughly a 4,500-9,000 big blind.
Rebuys and add-ons count too. If your 9-player game adds three 10,000-chip rebuys, the pool is 120,000 chips, and the likely ending range moves closer to a 6,000-12,000 big blind.
The calculator uses the same idea from the other direction: it estimates a late-stage big blind from the chips in play, then builds practical levels between your opening blinds and that target.
For most single-table home tournaments, start players with 75-100 big blinds and use 12-18 minute levels. That gives players time to play early hands without making the tournament drag all night. Use shorter levels or a smaller starting depth only when you need a quick game.
Use 10-12 minute levels for a quick home tournament, 15-20 minutes for a standard casual tournament, and 20+ minutes for a deeper game. Self-dealt games need longer levels than online tournaments because fewer hands are dealt per hour.
Fifty big blinds is fast, 75-100 big blinds is a good default, and 150-200 big blinds is deep. Think in big blinds instead of raw chip count. A 10,000 stack can be deep or short depending on the opening blinds.
Keep antes off for the first few levels. Add them around Level 4 or 5, after rebuys close, or once stacks are deep enough that pots need more action. For a home game, a big blind ante is usually easier than collecting a small ante from every player.
Use a 75-100 BB starting stack, 10-15 minute levels, and a steady blind increase. Do not add unlimited rebuys if you care about the finish time. If the generated schedule runs long, lower the starting stack, shorten the levels, or choose faster blind increases.
No. Online tables deal many more hands per hour, so a 10-minute online level can feel much longer than a 10-minute self-dealt home level. For a live home game, use longer levels or accept that the tournament will play faster and become short-stacked sooner.
This tool is actively maintained. If something does not work for your tournament setup, or you have an idea that would make it more useful, send it over.
Send Feedback